Effects of Emotional Knowledge, Self -Efficacy and Parental Involvement on Goal Setting Behaviour among Adolescents in Ibadan Area of Oyo state

The purpose of the study was to investigate effects of emotional knowledge, self efficacy and parental involvement on goal setting behaviour among adolescents in Ibadan Area of Oyo state. The study adopted a descriptive research design to select three hundred secondary school students. Three instruments used were used for the study, emotional knowledge, self efficacy scale, parental involvement scale and Goal setting behaviour scales. Three research Questions were raised and answered in the study at 0.05 level of significant.  The results showed that there was significant relationship among the three independent variables (emotional knowledge, self efficacy and parental involvement) on adolescents’ goal setting behaviour and that the three independent variables (emotional knowledge, self efficacy and parental involvement) both jointly and relatively contributed significantly to the prediction adolescents’ goal setting behaviour. On the basis of these findings, it was stressed and advocated that there is need to enlighten the adolescents on how to improve on their emotional knowledge, self efficacy and parental involvement,, because their level of efficacy has a long way to influence their goal setting behaviour and general wellbeing, and that the parents need to be trained on the need to be actively involved in the adolescents’ development and give adequate emotional caring and guidance in terms of goal setting in the society. Key words: Emotional knowledge, self efficacy, parental involvement and behaviours’ goal settin

Behavioural Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic among Nigerians: A Nationwide Survey

Background: COVID-19 being a new disease has been fraught with poor public social responses. This survey described the behavioural responses to  COVID-19 from individuals in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society like Nigeria. Methods: The study used a web-based descriptive cross-sectional design to recruit Nigerian adults, 18 years and above from all the geopolitical  zones in the country, by snowball sampling technique. A 6-page Google form survey tool was used to administer the questionnaire via emails,  WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics with percentage frequency distribution. Results: A total of 1841 respondents (45.8% females) were finally analyzed. The age range was 18-84years with mean of 31±11years. Overall, 1079  (58.6%) expressed at least one element of fear of disclosing their COVID-19 status. There were 1047 (56.7%) respondents who expressed worry  about being discriminated against if they get COVD-19 and 1087 (59.1%) agreed that family members of COVID-19 patients may be rejected by the  community. Majority 1749 (95%) stated willingness to present to the healthcare facility, though 932 (50.6%) stated they will not be attended to if  suspected to have COVID-19. Of the respondents, 794 (43.1%) indicated that COVID-19 was caused by the Chinese and 1202 (65.3%) indicated that  healthcare workers should be kept in a hotel separate from the rest of the community. Majority 1679 (91.2%) however, disagreed that COVID- 19 was  a death sentence. Conclusion: The study revealed that there were elements of fear of disclosure, with discrimination and stigmatization being the major causes of  concern

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

A review of columnar cell lesions of the breast in a Lagos Tertiary Health Institution: A ten-year retrospective study

This study was to estimate the frequency of occurrence of columnar cell lesions (CCLs) in Nigerian women using Fibrocystic changes (FCC) of the breast as a surrogate lesion as well as to determine the variants of CCLs found using the standard histologic criteria.The materials for this study consisted of all consecutive breast biopsy blocks and corresponding archival slides with a previous diagnosis of FCC within a 10-year period at the department. All cases were reviewed and reclassified. The data obtained was analysed manually using simple statistical methods such as chart and tables. In this study, thirty cases of CCLs were identified among the 559 cases of FCC found. The ages of the patients ranged from 16 years to 63 years, the peak age of occurrence was in the 5th decade. The most common pattern found was Columnar Cell Change (CCC) which accounted for 66.7% of the cases. Columnar Cell Hyperplasia (CCH) accounted for 16.7%, and CCC and CCH occurred together in 16.7% of cases. No case of flat epithelial atypia (FEA) was found. The study showed that CCLs occur in Nigerian women. The FEA variant, the putative precursor of breast cancer, was not found among our cohort, most likely due to the benign surrogate lesion used for this study. FEA often co-exists with lobular neoplasia, and this entity would likely have been found if this study had included cases previously diagnosed with in situ and invasive lobular or ductal carcinoma. The age distribution of our patients was similar to that described among Caucasian women.Key words: Columnar Cell Lesions, Fibrocystic changes, Columnar Cell Change, Columnar Cell Hyperplasia, Flat Epithelial Atypia

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in a 2-Month Old Infant: A case report

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in young infants is easily  misdiagnosed as bronchopneumonia yet survival of such patients lies in prompt diagnosis and surgical treatment. The report aimed to increase awareness among Paediatricians and Paediatric Surgeons of the need for high index of suspicion for this condition to allow for early diagnosis and management. A two-month old infant presented with a five-week history ofcough of sudden onset and a week history of difficulty in breathing. He had been managed in several hospitals for bronchopneumonia. Examination findings showed features of respiratory distress, widespread coarse crepitations and bowel sounds in the lung fields. Chest radiograph showed `loops of bowel in the mediastinum. He had surgical reduction and repair of the hernia, made excellent recovery post-op and was discharged home. CDH is an uncommon anomaly but a high index of suspicion will allow early diagnosis and treatment with favourable outcome when picked early.Key words: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia, Infant, Bronchopneumonia, Respiratory distres

Prospective Jatropha Curcas based Firms in Nigeria. How Viable?

This study examined the viability of prospective Jatropha based firms vis–a-vis employment opportunities in Nigeria, specifically the study identified the Jatropha bio-diesel and other allied products that were been researched into in Nigeria, estimated the costs and returns structure to Jatropha cultivation and the production of Jatropha based products. For the study, small scale Jatropha based firms were investigated. The results of the study revealed that Jatropha based products manufactured include bio-diesel, Jatropha kernel cake livestock feed, Jatropha ink pigment and dye, glycerine and Jatropha seeds-coat cement sheet and floor tiles. All the various parts of the Jatropha seeds are useful either for one or two of these products. Jatropha cultivation, was shown to be very profitable. Among Jatropha products, only the costs of the biodiesel Jatropha fuel is relative expensive when compared with the common fossil diesel. Based on the study findings, the study calls for the mobilisation of the Nigerian farmers to cultivate Jatropha, Alongside training to intimate the masses of the numerous products and benefits from Jatropha is necessary. They should be trained to manufacture simple Jatropha based necessities like those highlighted in the study. Market accessibility training to farmers and other stakeholders involved should also be embedded in the training. There is also the need to popularize the practicality of using Jatropha to produce these products via workshops and seminars. It is also necessary to step-up steps at introducing these products to the markets so as to enhance the marketability and competitiveness of the Jatropha based firms. Government and also other individuals and stake-holders need ensure the availability of supporting infrastructures for these small holder industries to thrive in the long-run

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran